Link's Awakening: The Novel
by LostInHyrule
Summary: Link is searching the seas for enlightenment after saving Hyrule. Little does he know, his biggest adventure yet will take place when he's shipwrecked on Koholint Island. What is Link's fate? Watch as Link ventures to find the 8 items of the Sirens!
1. Prologue

**Link's Awakening: The Novel **

**Prologue**

Lightning ravaged the skies, and thunder sounded loud up in the heavens. The storm pierced Link's soul.

Hyrule. A place so close to Link's heart, yet so very far from him now. A place of beauty, love, and friendship. From the top of the stunning Death Mountain, to the bottom of Lake Hylia, he had fought so very long and hard to free the beauty of a land he loved. Every spring, the season Link enjoyed the most, he would go to that Lake, Lake Hylia. He would sit on the East Bank, gazing out into the middle of the beautiful lake, waters shimmering in the setting sun, or the morning dew, or the mid-day's heat.

It has been 3 years since the defeat of Ganon, the relinquishing of the Dark World and all it stood for. Link, the Legendary Hero, had been at peace there. But in the 3 years since the vanquishing of the evil lord Ganon, Link had done nothing. He had sunken into a kind of trance. With the Triforce resting in the sacred realm, and peace in Hyrule, there was nothing for a hero to do. Peace. Endless peace. It was foreseen that that was all there would be for the rest of his days. After 3 years, the king of Hyrule approached Link.

"Link" He had said sternly, coming in in the morning to Link's house, while the morning dew still sat fresh on the lawn. "You are the Legendary Hero, the Hero of all Hyrule. In our time of dire need, you stepped fourth, freed the maidens, rescued Zelda, defeated Ganon, and even resurrected me. You are a truly great man."

Link's gaze defeated the confidence the King had shown proudly when he walked in. "What do you want?" Link asked, not unkindly.

"Not as your King, but as your friend and a person in debt to you, I think you need enlightenment."

"What do you mean?"

"You are now 13, and you are coming of age. If you keep in the sort of trance you are now in, than you will cease to be a hero. I think that you need some danger, action, and excitement in your life again."

"But Sire, I love it here. Hyrule is my home, and it is peaceful."

"Ah, Link. It is not in Hyrule that you will find this enlightenment."

"Then where do you speak of?"

"We of Hyrule's Royal Family have found a way out of Hyrule, onto a Great Sea."

"Where is this?"

"Through the mountains south of Lake Hylia."

"You mean you _cut _through the southern mountain range?"

"It turns out Lake Hylia is just a pool, cut off from the rest of the Ocean. We assume they were once connected, the Great Ocean and Lake Hylia. But now cut off by about 1 mile of land and mountain."

"So what would you have me do?" Link asked, not so very far from suspiciously.

"I would have you take our finest vessel, and sail the boat to a new land. It would provide a challenge to a lad like you, and would have you re-invigorated."

"You would have me sail to parts unknown?"

"It is not an order, but simply a recommendation from a friend. I would have your ship ready within the weak, as well as a years' rations. You would also be gifted a scroll and ink, to chart the lands you visited, if it would please you to do so. This is entirely your choice." The King finished nobly, regaining the confidence he had so long gone without losing.

It took Link a full day's contemplation to reach a decision. He would sail to new lands."

Right now, Link wasn't thinking about how much he missed Hyrule. He was hopelessly lost, had neglected in making a map, and had been out at sea for 6 months. He now encountered what would later be labeled "Storm Season."

He pulled on the ropes, trying to hold the sails steady, but knew his task was futile. He ran to the Tiller, and turned it jarringly toward the West. Link had learned much of sailing by his own merits over 6 months. When the Easterly wind blew, turning the sails West would help him catch the wind and game maximum speed. Speed that he hoped to use to get out of this fridged, miserable place.

Just then, his ship seemed to run-aground. It had hit a reef, and was splintering. Link ran back up to the Tiller, from the sales he was manning, and tried with all his might to turn the ship, but it was no use. His last frantic moments before the ship stopped abruptly and slammed him into the front of the boat knocking him unconscious were the worst of his life.

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When he washed up on the shore of Koholint Island, totally wrecked, hungry, sword-less, and unconscious, he looked very sad. This, who was the legendary swordsman, _Hero_ of Hyrule, now looked helpless, ship-wrecked on some Din-Forsaken Island in the middle of nowhere. He looked positively pathetic.

It was in that state that Marin discovered him.


	2. The Gilded Sword

**Link's Awakening: The Novel**

**The Gilded Sword**

"Link, you have rescued the Maidens, saved Zelda, and defeated Ganon. I hail you, the Hero of Legends." The King's voice boomed. "And so, you will be free to come and go at the castle whenever you please. The Triforce is safe, and peace shall reign in Hyrule"

"Thank you, Sire." Link replied, triumphantly.

The crowds then receded, and Link was left face-to-face with Princess Zelda.

"Zelda, you are looking beautiful as ever." He said, kind of sheepishly, very much unlike himself.

"Link. I'm glad to have you as a friend of Hyrule's. Let peace and prosperity reign throughout the ages of Hyrule." She replied, also kind of nervous.

"Zelda". Link stated. Just then, Zelda started becoming distant, her voice of response dim, and Link cried out "Zelda!" He repeated the call until she was too far to see.

"Zelda..." Link awoke, startled to see a young girl looking right at him not a foot and a half away.

"Zelda?" The girl asked amused. "I'm not Zelda, I'm Marin, silly! Wow, what a relief! You were tossing and turning, I thought you'd never get up!"

"Zelda..." Link moaned weakly.

"Zelda? You must still be feeling a little woozy. You're on Koholint Island!"

Link got up out of the bed he was in, and looked around. The place was very dirty, like a poor persons' residence. One room, there was only 2 beds, a dresser, 2 pots, and a small table with too log stumps that served as chairs.

"If you wish to go to where I found you, than follow the lane west of here south, and it will lead you upon a beach, where I found you unconscious. However, since the hour you showed up on the island, a group of terrible monsters has shown up. If you wish to go there, promise to be careful, okay?"

"Okay Marin, I promise." Link said.

Marin looked lovingly into Link's eyes for a few seconds, and then tore her gaze away. Link decided he should follow the lane to the beach so he could find the remains of his ship. He limped over the front door. The man that must have been Marin's father then called him back.

"Whoa boy, where you off to in such a hurry?" He asked in a gruff but friendly voice. "Set a spell, I got somethin' ta tell ya!" He finished. Link walked over to him.

"Well Link, ya finally snapped out of it... Name's Tarin...Hope yer feelin' better."

Link looked a Tarin as if he had seen a ghost. How did he know his name? Was he one of Ganondorf's spies? He reached to his back to pull out his sword, but found it wasn't there. Neither was his shield. Link didn't know what was happening, and for the first time in a long time, he was scared.

"What? How did I know your name?" He replied to Link's pale white face. "You think it's weird eh? Well, I saw it on the back of this shield!"

Tarin then proceeded to hand Link the Shield. Link breathed a stifled sigh of relief. Ah, that shield. The one Link knew all too well. The hero's shield, as it had been nicknamed. It had been with him his entire quest to save Hyrule. How he loved that shield. Almost as much as his sword, his trusted Gilded Sword. However, at the moment, that sword was not present. Then and there Link decided he needed to find that sword.

"Oh yeah, some other stuff like that washed up on the beach where I found you." Tarin said, breaking Link out of his trance.

Link pondered this. It could mean parts of his ship, or even his sword. Seeing no down-side to going to the beach to start, he quickly walked out the door after yelling "Bye" to the people who had saved his life.

Link exited the house to find he was in a village. It shouldn't have surprised him; he was in a house for crying out loud. But this wasn't a village in Hyrule. What he had been searching for for 6 months he had found by chance. Link decided he could look around the village for a while.

Link circled around. He saw that west of him there was basically nothing. He reasoned that the village must be near the west coast of the island. He looked south; and found that the ocean also lay not far in that direction. Southwestern corner of the island, Link corrected himself.

To the North he saw a huge forest, with the beautiful backdrop of a mountain range. The Mountain range seemed to cover the entire northern island. To the West, the land also stretched far. Link reached into his Tunic, feeling for what he might have left from the shipwreck. His parchment was still with him – but in very poor condition, if that. His quill was also with him.

The quill was something quite special. New to the time, just been invented in Hyrule, by the King's servant. The quill was designed to hold a specific amount of ink in it's top, so that when someone pressed, the point of the quill would collapse and ink would pour out; thus giving Link an almost unlimited amount of ink.

He surveyed his surroundings, and then estimated his distance from each shore. Link was extremely talented in the art of mapping, yet had always shown very little interest in it. He sketched a vague image of his surrounding area on his new map.

His first stop, he decided, would be to find out about this mysterious Koholint Island. He two boys playing ball in front of a rather large building not 30 paces away. He walked over to them, past a house with a dog. He ceased absent-mindedly sketching his whereabouts, and started to talk with them.

"Hello, kids." Link said good-naturedly.

"Hey, who gave you the right to call us kids?"

Link was taken aback. "Well..." He really didn't have an answer. The kids must have been only a year or two younger, and almost as tall as him. Link had matured so quickly during his quest to save Hyrule, and the maturity stuck. He had had a very short childhood, maybe 9 years at the most. 10 was a very young age for a 'Hero', and in his boyish state, he wouldn't have been able to handle the ferocity of war. So his body and mind had done the things they thoughts could protect him most; maturing him quickly.

"Anyway." Link said, still pondering that question. "I'm not 'from here' "

"What do you mean, 'Not from here?' " The boys asked puzzled, almost simultaneously. Link decided to switch tracks.

"What is that building that you're playing in front of?" He asked.

"Why the library, of course." He was starting to treat Link more and more like a child as the conversation went on. "But there are no good stories there; just tips for sword-fighting and the like."

Link's eyes lit up. "When did your people come to live on Koholint Island?" Link asked, deciding to catch them off-guard with a question of that sort.

"What are you talking about? Came to live here? We've always lived here!"

Link decided to abandon the argument. He entered the library. The next hour, Link spent looking through the books. They had wonderful techniques; spin attacks, thrusts, all the like. Link marveled at his fortune, and pondered who could have written these books. Koholint looked like such a peaceful place.

But there was one book Link could not read. As he pulled it off the shelf out of curiosity, he dusted off the cover and read out loud. "Dark secrets of Koholint Island". Link thought about this for a moment, and then his curiosity got the better of him. He flipped through the pages. Yet however many pages he flipped, it was always the same. Hundreds of the same page, all in writing he could not read if he tried. Link decided to abandon the subject.

He walked back outside, and treaded south on the path until the path turned into a beach.

"This place is like a maze!" Link exclaimed, after searching for a half an hour and still not finding a place where land met sea. Then his luck turned. After wandering around, he can to a house. 'Banana Hut' it was titled. Link entered.

To find a hippopotamus sitting in a chair, choking down bananas as fast as he could! Link decided to ask the hippo directions to the shore.

"Um... hello, sir." Link said tentatively. He didn't know weather or not the animal could talk, but then again, he would have doubted before this encounter that Hippo's could wear human-clothes.

"What do you want?" The Hippo asked when he had ceased his rabid banana-eating.

"I want to find the shore, sir." Link replied.

"Then travel east, then south. Now leave me in peace, unless you have some canned food to give me."

Link left hastily, and followed the hippo's directions to shore.

He was aggrieved to find only a few boards of what had once been the greatest ship in Hyrule. He ran up to it and fell to his knees. He felt like weeping, but couldn't. Couldn't really feel any emption at all. He was numb.

But then he saw it. The Gilded Sword. That orange blade, with which he had killed Ganon. Along with the Silver Arrows, of course, which he had neglected to bring on his quest.

He went to claim the weapon that was rightfully his. But just then, as he was about to take it, something startled him.

A bird flew in from behind him, and began talking in a controlled voice to Link.

"So you are the lad who owns the sword..." It was not a question. Now I understand why the monsters are starting to act so violently..."

Link couldn't quite comprehend that sentence. Monsters acting not violently? In Hyrule, whenever monsters were about, they acted all the more violently. Never peacefully. Of the few monsters that Link had encountered in his trek south, none seemed happy. Or seemed to even care that they were attacking a kid, for that matter.

"A courageous lad has come to wake the Wind Fish..." The Owl continued. "It is said that you cannot leave the island unless you wake the Wind Fish..."

Link didn't know at all what a wind fish was, but he kept listening intently - he now knew this was his ticket off the island.

"You should go north, to the Mysterious Forest." He concluded. "I will wait for you there! Hoot!"

And with that, the owl flew away.

Link was left bewildered. He now knew what he must do – Find his way to the Mysterious Forest, awaken that fish the owl spoke of, and earn himself a ticket off this island. But he decided he would explore the town first.

Link hiked back up the cliffs, from the beach, and finally found the path that led back to town again. It was a very peaceful walk back into town. Cliffs raised high above him. When he past the Library, on the outskirts of town, he finally noticed the forest that had eluded him earlier. To the north of the library, was a magnificent forest. Trees rising high out of the ground. The forest sent shivers down Link's spine.

He decided to deter from the forest for a moment. Check out the town. He reasoned he might be here for a while. He walked through the village, spotted kids playing, shops, and houses. Just like Kakariko Village back in Hyrule. This revelation brought comfort to Link.

As he came to an area of the town that had a bit of a garden, completely overgrown, he realized he hadn't even swung his sword since obtaining it. It un-sheathed his sword and started hacking at the overgrown garden, obliterating the shrubs. As he was hacking, he felt that sense of being a hero that he had had when he was liberating Hyrule from Ganondorf. He held his sword behind his back, and charged up his energy. He twirled the sword and cut more shrubs. But out of one of the shrubs came a seashell.

Link walked over and picked up the seashell. It sparkled with an eerie blue light. In its side was an inscription.

"_The Secret Blue Shells of the Wind Fish are scattered_

_All over the island their powerful glow is hidden in secret_

_In order to obtain the ultimate blade of the Gods_

_Find 20 Shells, and bring them to the mansion in Ukuku Prairie"_

Link shivered as he finished reading the inscription. He put the Seashell in his Tunic, and walked up through the town. He found a house where he heard a screaming baby on the inside. He knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A voice yelled. Link did.

"And what's your name?" The lady asked. She was holding screaming twins in her hands. Link thought he could understand the babies...

"Hey, son." The lady said to Link. "Do you know what a 'Yoshi' is?"

Yoshi! That's what the babies had been screaming. He couldn't fathom how babies of only about 18 months in age could have learned about the popular children's doll, but it was clear to him now.

"Uh, yeah." Link replied. "It's a popular children's doll."

"Oh, they must have heard the kids outside gossiping about that thing. Would you mind getting one for my babies? I can't go out, and my husband wouldn't know where to get one."

"Sure thing." Link answered automatically. He walked out the front door.

Link wandered the town. Where could he get a Yoshi Doll? He wondered... He decided to enter a building that said "Shop."

"Hello, lad." A lazy voice said to Link. "Please take a while to look around at our wares."

Link looked to see a bald man behind the counter. He wandered over to see the selection. He had gathered rupees in the grass on his way from the beach, and in the garden. A shovel, for 200 Rupees. 3 healing magic hearts, for 10 Rupees. And a shield, plain and wooden, for 20 Rupees. Nothing interested Link. The shovel looked useful, but he didn't have the Rupees to buy it. He exited.

Link began traveling south, past the garden, to a section of the town he hadn't seen before. Another "Shop" was here. Link cut the shrubs in front of the door and entered.

"Trendy Game! Trendy Game! Only 10 Rupees per play! Step right up!" The sound of a salesman assaulted Link's ears. He tuned him out and walked over to the glass.

There it was! The Yoshi Doll! _What luck I have._ Link thought. He looked in his wallet. 20 Rupees he had saved.

"I'll play!" Link shouted, to drown out the still-ranting salesman.

"Step right up! I'll collect your Rupees!" The salesman came up and snatched the 10 Rupee Diamond Link held up. "Okay! Go to he controls! Try to catch the prize you want!"

Link got lucky. On his first try, he nabbed the Yoshi Doll, and took it from the conveyer belt that brought it to him. He walked out of the Trendy Game Shop and brought the Yoshi doll back to the family. He decided to talk to the husband first.

"Yep! Those are my boys! I'm Papahl, please to meetcha! I'll be lost in the hills later, so keep an eye out for me, hear?"

Link couldn't fathom that sentence. Lost in the hills? Was he _planning_ to be lost? He decided to abandon the puzzling thought.

"Here you are, miss." Link said, handing her the Yoshi Doll.

"Oh!" The lady replied. "You are indeed a generous person! Ah! I'll give you this in return." She finished, handing Link a Hair Ribbon.

"Thank you!" Link said gratefully, and exited the house. He decided he would go to see Marin, see how she was doing.

Link found her at Town Square, at the Rooster's Grave, singing.


	3. The Toadstool

**Link's Awakening**

**The Toadstool**

Link walked into the Town Square to find Marin singing. She had a beautiful voice, and Link simply listened for nearly a minute before going over to talk to her.

"Hello, Marin." Link said.

"Oh! Hi Link!" She exclaimed, stopping singing to gaze at Link.

"How are you, Marin?" Link asked.

"I'm doing fine. How are you, Link?"

"I don't really know..." Link replied. "I just figured out my ticket off the island."

"Good for you." Marin said, now slightly saddened. "How is that?"

"By awakening the Wind Fish." Link said, casually.

"Awakening the Wind Fish???" She asked, now very concerned. "You plan to awaken a God from its eternal slumber???"

It took a few seconds for Link to grasp the words Marin used. _God_. Link had had no idea of the importance of this 'Wind Fish'. _What have I gotten myself into now?_ He thought. But he said;

"Yes. At least that's what the owl told me."

Marin sighed. "You go do that then. But I assume that a long quest is now laid out in front of you."

"I was just starting to draw the same conclusion." Link said.

"Tarin went to the forest." Marin said, almost dismissively.

"The Mysterious Forest?" Link asked.

"What other forests are there around here that you know of?"

"None. I don't live here."

"Well, he went there to pick mushrooms. But I'd rather stay here and sing." She said, this time definitely dismissively, and started to sing.

"Good bye, Marin." Link said, and he walked away through the town. On his way through the town, he saw a Cucco. He thought about what would happen if he poked it with his sword – and decided against it.

He came to the Library again, and this time ventured north. But instead of cutting the shrub in front of the forest and entering it, Link decided to cut the shrubs in front of a cliff.

_I must be crazy._ Link thought to himself. With that, he cut the shrubs, and jumped off the 10 foot cliff, down into the well.

He caught hold of a ladder before hitting the bottom of the well. He let go and dropped the next 5 feet, down to the bottom.

The Well was creepy. The murky water was only up to Link's knees, and it glowed red in the torch light. Link couldn't understand who would come down here enough to light them. Link decided to look around a little.

He sifted through the water for a few minutes, and finally he found what instincts told him to look for. Link took the Heart Piece and held it high above his head. Only the Legendary Hero knew the real use of Heart Pieces. Everyone else thought they were just junk. After holding the piece above his head for a few seconds, he shoved it into his chest, and power surged through him. He felt all fatigue draining away, and he felt more powerful. He knew that for every four pieces he collected, he would become more and more powerful. He had learned this on his last quest. Link exited the Well.

Link climbed the ladder up and out of the well. He cut the large shrub in front of the forest, and proceeded into the Mysterious Forest.

Just then the owl flew down to talk to Link again. "Ho brave lad! On your quest to wake the dreamer!"

"Am I?" Link said sarcastically. "I didn't notice."

The owl scowled, but continued. "Welcome to the Mysterious forest! Much mystery you will find on Koholint Island! I'm afraid you'll find it a trifle difficult to leave the island while the Wind Fish naps..."

"Yes, so I've heard." Link said, the sarcasm still strong in his voice.

The owl ignored him. "By the by, have you ever visited Tail Cave, which is south of the village? Go there with the key you find in this forest." With that, he began to fly away. "The Wind Fish is watching! Hoot!"

By the time the "Hoot" came, the owl was almost out of earshot. Link treaded forward into the forest. He was immediately attacked my moblins.

"Take that!" Link yelled, slicing off the first Moblin's head. "And that!" he said, while he stuck the Gilded Sword through the Adam's apple of another Moblin.

Link got out his aggression on some more monsters that attacked him as he passed to the west. Link looked south, and saw a gilded chest. But the chest was being blocked off by boulders. He couldn't fit in the space between boulders, so he decided to climb them. He jumped up to grab the top of the boulder, but slipped down and cut his elbow. He decided not to try again.

Link proceeded to walk to the north, where he found a little animal. A raccoon, actually. He decided to pass it and he walked north, but as he walked north the raccoon began to talk!

"Ha ha! You're going to be lost, because of me!" The raccoon said. Link ignored it. But as he walked north, he began to feel dizzy. He decided he needed a rest. He went to lie down, and as he did, he was swept up off the ground, into another section of the forest. Link walked north from his new position, and he found a fairy fountain, just like the ones in Hyrule. The fairy healed him, and Link went on his way, absolutely marveling at the similarities between Hyrule and this "Koholint".

Link continued wandering until he found a cave. "Beware of floors with cracks! Heavy people should not stand on them!" Link didn't know the sign's definition of "Heavy", but he decided to proceed with caution anyway. When he walked in, however, he was assaulted by Keese! The little bat monsters took little work on Link's part to kill, but he was annoyed by them. Just like on his last quest, he thought. He nimbly leapt over the cracked tiles, and pushed the rolling stone in front of the Chest in the cave. He opened the chest to find 20 Rupees! He then proceeded through the cave to the next room.

Link peered through two boulders to see a Heart Piece! He pushed the boulders aside, this way and that, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get past the dead Stalfos bodies blocking it. He tried to lift the Stalfos body, but to no avail. They were too heavy. Link decided to take the other route out of the cave.

Link exited, and an unsettling smell assaulted him. He looked left and right, but couldn't place it. He decided to move on. All of the sudden, it seemed, Link found himself falling, no, _face-planting_ right on the ground. Link turned and looked at his feet to see what had tripped him. It was a rather large mushroom. Link turned and picked it up, and immediately knew that that was what he had smelled.

After pocketing the mushroom, Link moved on. However, he found it impossible to proceed in this direction, as there were large holes in either direction; holes he couldn't possible jump if he tried. Link backtracked through the cave.

Upon exiting the cave, he ventured north. He saw a cave, blocked off by boulders. Link knew that this cave probably contained some kind of treasure- but he had no way of moving the extremely heavy boulder in front of the cave. Link defeated the Zols (Tiny green blobs of energy) and moved on.

Link ventured further east, and his eyes lit up. A Heart Piece! But alas, there was a steep Cliffside surrounding it. He wouldn't survive the fall, and didn't trust himself to make the jump. Link then ventured south, past a small pond with an Octorock (Black-hearted sea creature that spits rocks) in it. He traveled south more, to a graveyard from which he was blocked off from him by another boulder, and traveled west to a structure that closely resembled a withered tree.

Link entered the building, and was surprised to find that it _was_ a withered tree. Hollowed out, and extremely old, by the look of it. The sides were covered with old pots, cans, and garbage. A little rat, a pet by the look of it, ran around in circles. Link had to squint to observe all of this, however, because the place was so dark. Only the light coming from the open door cast away the darkness for the moment. Link observed a torch in the middle of the room that was burned out. And sitting on a stool, next to that torch, with a cauldron in front of her, was a witch.

Now Link had never seen an actual witch before, but he had the impression this was the real deal. He approached cautiously.

Before Link had a chance to say anything, the witch spoke out in a cackling and cruel-sounding voice.


	4. The Tail Key

**Link's Awakening: The Novel**

**Tail Key**

**A/N: First author's note. That's kind of rare for me... well anyway, nobody has pointed it out yet, but the Hippo mentioned in the 2nd chapter is actually an alligator... oops. However, I'm going to blatantly ignore that fact and continue to call it a hippo, because I'm too lazy to go back and fix the last chapter. :) I hope you guys like this chapter!**

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"Hello, my pretty!" The witch exclaimed.

Link jumped backward from the cackling voice. "Who are you?"

"You come to my house and accuse me? Don't you have manners?"

Link was taken aback by the witch. She didn't seem to be evil, or even mean. Just a cackling old lady.

"I'm Link." Link said simply.

"Bubble bubble, toil and trouble. A toadstool mix makes powder for tricks!" The witch's outburst startled Link.

"What?"

"Do you or don't you have the sleepy toadstool?"

"Wait a second..." Link pulled the toadstool out of his tunic. "Is this what you mean?" Link asked.

"Ah-ha!" The witch exclaimed, and she swiped the toadstool from Link's hands before he could object. She threw it down in her bubbling cauldron, and started stirring frantically. Link just watched.

"Ah-ha!" The witch yelled again. "It's ready!"

"What's ready?" Link asked. The witch answered his question swiping her hand in and out of the cauldron, and letting the liquid drip off the sides. Left in her hand was a thinly-ground powder.

"Take this, young boy! It could be helpful for you!"

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Why, Magic Powder of course! Use it to light torches, and do other tricks."

With tat, the witch pulled a bag out from under her stool, and she tossed the powder into the bag.

"Thanks!" Link said, genuinely gratefully.

"Hey lad?" The witch asked. "Would you mind using some of that in here?"

"Um..." Link said, perplexed. Why couldn't she make some more for herself? ""Sure..." Link took a pinch of the powder and dropped it in the torch standing in the middle of the room.

"Thanks lad!" The witch said, cackling.

"Um... don't mention it."

Link went outside and glanced east. There was a small hole Link wouldn't trust himself to jump, and a group of trees that grew so close together they blocked the route east. Link backtracked. He came back upon the pond with the Octorock and the Chu-chu. Link decided to see if the powder would have an effect on enemies. He took out a handful of powder and threw it on the Chu-chu. The Chu-chu transformed! It now looked like a flower.

"Hey mon!"

Link jumped at the human voice. Who had said that?

"Hey mon!"

Link saw this time that it had come from what had once been the Chu-chu.

"Hello little guy?"

"Hey mon!"

"What was that?"

"Hey mon!"

Link couldn't get anything else out of him no matter how he tried. He decided to backtrack further. He passed the Heart Peice encased in holes. He backtracked further west, and spotted some Moblins. He decided to try the Magic Powder on the Moblins. He threw a handful on a Moblin, and it burst into flames! Link watched as the creature slowly withered. He was so shocked he was almost unprepared when the fallen Moblins' bretheren jumped to attack Link.

"Oh no you don't!" Link screamed. He thrust his sword in and up to the Moblins gut. The Moblin was too quick, however; it easily parried the blow. It counterstruck with its long spear, gashing Link on the shoulder. "Why you!" Link screamed, unleashing a barrage of blows to the Moblin. In seconds it was completely dismembered. Link continued on his way after calming down.

He backtracked until another path revealed itself to him. He went north. There, sitting in a clearing, was a raccoon. Link didn't know if it was a talking raccoon or not, but he decided to try to talk to it anyway.

"Hello, little guy?"

"As a raccoon, my nose is very sensitive ta stuff like dust and powder..." The raccoon said. Link was perplexed; what did it mean by that? His first thought was to try sprinkling the Magic Powder on him, but what if he burst into flames? He didn't want to hurt it. But he remembered what the raccoon had done to him earlier. He decided to risk it. He threw a handful of powder on the raccoon.

The raccoon began to swirl and spin all around the clearing, bumping into everything. Link had to dodge it a few times. Finally, it flashed bright, and Link thought he had killed it. But then, when he looked up, he saw that the raccoon was alive and well; but it wasn't a raccoon any longer. It was Tarin!

"Where am I?" Tarin asked. "The last thing I kin remember is bittin' into nice juicy toadstool... I had the weirdest dream! I dreamt I was a raccoon! It was fun!"

"You're in the Mysterious Forest, Tarin." Link stated.

"I'm all tucker'd out..." Tarin said. "I think I better set a spell before I head home..."

Set a spell? Link dismissed it as more random jumble from Tarin. He'd grown to expect it. The man was a lunatic.

Link continued north to find a Gilded Chest. He cut the shrubs in front of the chest and opened it... to find the Tail Key! On the top of the key, it was inscribed...

_Thou who wish to open the Tail Cave..._

_And awaken the Dreamer..._

_Take this key to the southern shore..._

_To find the Full Moon Cello..._

_More inscriptions. _Link thought. _Bah. I can do this my way._ He took the key and proceeded south, backtracking. After all; the owl had said to go to the shore with the key he found here. But it was the owl that stopped him.

"Hoot!" The owl said. "Take the key and go to the Tail Cave. Retrieve the Instrument that is hidden there! Go now! The Wind Fish is waiting! Hooot!"

"That was completely pointless... I already knew that..." Link muttered. Link went south into the town. He decided to look around a little. He entered the little dog house next to the house with the large dog. Link figured the dog house couldn't belong to that dog; it couldn't fit in the dog house. He ducked and entered the dog house. Inside, he found a little doggie! He didn't know whether or not it could talk, because about half of the animals on Koholint seemed to be able to talk, but he didn't think it could hurt to try.

"Hello?" Link asked.

"Make-up! Jewels! Dresses! I want it all!" The puppy said. "Sigh... And some new accessories would be nice..." The puppy glanced at the ribbon at Link's belt. "Oh! That Ribbon! I needed it! Will you trade for my dog food?"

Link pondered it; the ribbon was useless for him. Then again, so was dog food. But then Link remembered his encounter with the hippo...

"_Leave me alone, unless you have some canned food to give me_!" The hippo had said. Would dog food count? Link didn't think so, but it was worth a shot. He handed the ribbon to the obsessed puppy.

"Lucky! Thanks! Well, here's your dog food!" The puppy handed the can of dog food to Link, who took it and walked away. Link figured he could meet the hippo on his way down through the beach to find this "Tail Cave". He proceeded south past the library and entered the bluffs north of the shore line.

He jumped down to the shore, and proceeded east to where he knew that the hippo lived. The road there was uneventful; just a few pigs attacked. Link entered the Banana Shack.

"Hello, sir?" Link asked.

The hippopotamus began to sniff around. "Is that canned food?" The hippo asked. "For heaven's sake, man, give that dog food to ME!! PLEASE!"

He looked hysterical. Link decided to give it to him.

"Oh thank you!" The hippo said. "I'll take that!" The hippo scoffed it down, tin and all. That thought revolted Link. "That was great! I know it's not a fair trade, but here's some bananas! YUM... that dog food was good!"

The hippo then handed some bananas to Link.

"Thanks!" Link said, still in awe that it worked. _Great trade._ Link thought.

"See ya 'round!" The hippo said.

Link exited the banana shack and searched the shore. But no matter where he went, he couldn't find the Tail Cave. He climbed back up the bluffs and proceeded east to a place he hadn't yet been. He killed some monster-pigs on the way east, and then turned south when he reached a road block.

In a clearing, there was but a single tree. It was very high, and at the top, Link spotted a Secret Seashell. He knew he couldn't climb the tree with so little footholds. He decided he would come back. Then he went west, and he spotted a dungeon. In front were 3 statues, depicting an ugly scorpion-like tail. In the center one was a key hole that was the same size as the Tail Key Link had got in the Mysterious Woods.

Link inserted the key, and the ground began to shake. The dungeon bars opened, and a forbidding yell echoed throughout the lair.

"Do not enter!" The voice chanted. Link gathered up all his courage and walked bravely, sword in hand, through the entryway into the Tail Cave.


End file.
